Wire joining machine



Filed July 2. 1951 R. ZIPPEL ETA!- WIRE JOINING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet J.

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My 1956 R. ZHPPEL mm. 2,752,958

WIRE JOINING MACHINE Filed July 2, 1951 5 Sheeizwfiheet 2 INVENTORJ:

y 1956 R. ZIPPEL EIAL WIRE JOINING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 2, 1951 XNVENTORS: RICHHRP 2 Jufly LII 1956 R. ZIPPEL ETAL WIRE JOINING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 2", 1951 INVENTORJ: may 20 .2 mpzz RM5'T NE/VfFQ States Patent O flice 2,752,958 Patented July 3, 1956 WIRE JOINING MACHINE Richard Zippel, Hannover-Linden, Germany, and Ernst Wenger, Binningen, Switzerland Application July 2, 1951, Serial No. 234,806 Claims priority, application Germany July 5, 1950 6 Claims. (Cl. Mil-93.6)

This invention relates to a machine with a uni-directional rotary drive for tensioning, twisting together and cutting off a wire laid around a package.

Machines are already known for tying up packages, such as chests, boxes and the like, with wire which serve at least to tension, twist together and cut off the wire laid around the package and which may also serve in part sometimes to lay the wire around the package. Insofar as these machines are driven by hand they are generally provided with a manually operable rocking lever for their drive which is actuated by rocking to-and-fro. Working with such hand-operated machines is tiring in the long run.

Insofar as such machines are motor driven, the known machines of this type have a relatively complex and complicated construction so that large investment costs are involved in their construction. Such machines can, therefore, only be afforded by very large scale businesses.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine of relatively simple and small construction which is provided with a unidirectional rotary drive and can thus be motor operated without difficulty and which serves to tension, twist together and cut off a wire laid around a package whilst by means of an automatic serial control the wire is first tensioned by a tensioning apparatus, the mutually overlapping parts of the wire are twisted together by means of a twister apparatus and the surplus parts of the wire are then cut oifby meansof a cutting apparatus. The machine according to the invention is characterised in that it is provided with a rotatably mounted drivable shaft on which are mounted two cam discs each of which co-operates with a rockably mounted tensioning lever of the tensioning apparatus provided with means for clamping the wire and between.

which cam discs there is disposed a driving wheel for the twister apparatus rotatably mounted co-axial to the said shaft, which driving wheel is adapted to be coupled with the machine drive, the control means being so arranged that first only the cam discs rock the tensioning levers apart and tension the wire and thereafter the drive is automatically coupled with the twister driving wheel also by means of a displaceable driver so that the parts of the wire are twisted together, whereafter by the action of a stationary control member a displaceable driver disengages the twister driving wheel from the drive prior to operation of the cutting apparatus, whereupon after the wire has been cut olf the shaft carrying the cam discs is brought to rest.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 shows a plan'view of one embodiment of the invention sectioned horizontally along the-median longitudinal line of the control shaft,

Fig. la is a simplified view of Fig. 1 showing the wire tensioning jaws in tensioning position,

Fig. lb shows a section taken on line 1b of Fig. 1,

Fig. 2 shows a detail of Fig. 1 showing the driving wheel and the control shaft with the driver in the engaged position,

Fig. 3 shows a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 2 viewed in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the position of the parts prior to the completion of a half revolution of the control shaft,

Fig. 5 shows the corresponding front elevation in a view similar to that of Fig. 3,

Figs. 6 and '7 respectively show views similar to those of Figs. 2 and 3 or 4 and 5 respectively, showing a further position of the parts as the control action proceeds further,

Fig. 8 shows a re-setting device partially in section as a plan view with respect to Fig. 3,

Fig. 9 shows diagrammatically a development of the control parts between the control shaft and a stationary control part for the final phase of the control,

Fig. 10 shows a front elevation of the cutting apparatus viewed in the direction of the arrow B in Fig. 1,

Fig. 11 shows an assembly in side elevation on a similar scale,

Fig. 12 shows a further embodiment in a view similar to that of Fig. l, and

Fig. 13 shows in a similar view the twister driving wheel part thereof in a somewhat different embodiment.

Referring now to Fig. 1, co-axial mountings b and c are arranged on a base plate a. A bush. f is arranged in the bearing 0 and locked against rotation by means of a pin d. A spindle e is disposed in the bush 7 and the pin d passes through and secures the spindle e.

A worm 1 is also rotatably mounted on the base plate a and is driven continuously by an electro-motor, not shown, and meshes with a driving wheel 2 formed as a worm wheel. The latter is provided on the right hand side with a hub which is provided with a projecting claw 3. The driving wheel 2 is mounted for free rotation upon a control shaft 4 constructed as a hollow shaft. The control shaft 4 is passed over the spindle e and is mounted thereon for rotation and longitudinal displacement, the right hand bearing being formed by the hearing b. The end of the control shaft 4 is closed and provided with a knob 5. A radial driver or couple 6 is also arranged on the control shaft 4. On the control shaft there are also set two keys 7 and 8 which serve to hold cam discs 9 and 10 which are mounted on the control shaft 4 for longitudinal displacement but not for rotation relative thereto. The cam discs 9 and 1t) lie on either side of the driving wheel 2 and each is provided on the side remote from the otherwith a cam face 17 which is formed by an oblique section of a hollow cylinder. The two cam faces 17 are disposed symmetrically of one another with reference to the median cross-section through a gear wheel 19 which is mounted for free rotation on the hub of the driving wheel 2 and forms the driving wheel for a twister pinion 20 which is mounted for free rotation on the base plate a. The twister driving or actuating wheel 19 is provided with two axially projecting lugs 18, which lie diametrically opposite one another and are shorter in the axial direction than the claws 3 of the driving wheel 2. Two tensioning levers l2 and 13 coupled together by means of return spring ll are rockably mounted about vertical pins 12 and 13 on the base plate a and are provided with clamping devices 16 for clamping the parts 14 and 15 of a wire laid around the package, constituting wire tensioning means. As shown in Fig. 1, the control shaft 4 is provided below at its left hand end with an axial projection 21 which cooperates with a cam face 22 of a stationary control part 1 (see also Fig. 9). In the rest position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the twisterdriving wheel 19, as may be seen from 8, is held on the one hand by a spring pawl 23 mounted on a stationary pivot pin 23 and on the other hand by means of a stop pawl 26 mounted on a stationary pivot pin 26'. The spring pawl 23 engages in a recess 24 in the wheel is, the right hand flank or which recess, as viewed in Fig. 8, forms an abutment for the spring pawl 23. The stop pawl 26 engages analogously in a recess 25 in the wheel 19, the left hand boundary flank of which forms an abutment for the stop pawl. The wheel 19 is thus locked in the rest position in such a way that it can be rotated in the normal direction of rotation corresponding to the arrows inserted in Figs. 3 and Shy overcoming the force of the springs 23 and 26" but cannot be rotated in the opposite direction since the stop pawl 26 prevents such a rotation.

The cam discs 9 and are both provided with radially projecting camrning noses 27 which are permanently disposed axially opposite one another and each co-operates, as shown in Fig. 10, With 'a shearing knife 28 which forins part of the cutting apparatus and serves to cut ofi one of the parts 14 or of the wire which lies in the wire guide 30. Each knife 28 is roekably mounted about a pin' 2 8 and is under the influence 'of a return spring 29 which returnsit into the out-of-use position. The driver 6 and claws 3 and 18 constitute either operable means for coupling the shaft 4 with the twister pinion or a lost niot'ion connection between shaft 4 and twister pinion 20.

In use, when the motor is set in motion, the worm 1 is set in continuous rotary motion so that the driving wheel 2 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3. Since the driver 6 in the rest position shown in Fig. 1 lies outside the path of the claw 3 of the wheel 2, the latter runs idle. The machine is placed with the base plate a resting on the package to be tied up. The wire is laid around the package and one part 14 of the surplus wire is clamped fast by the clamping device 16 of theten'sioning lever '13 and passed through the wire guide of the cutting knife 28 disposed on the opposite side. In analogous manner the other part 15 of the wire is clamped fast by a clamping device 16 of the tensioning lever 12 and passed through the other wire guide 30 of the cutting knife '28. I

After these preparations have been made, the tensioning process is initiated by axial 'rnanual pressure on the knob 5. This pushes the control shaft 4 to the left from the rest position shown in Fig. 1 into the other end position whereby the driver 6 undergoes corresponding axial displacement into the endpo'sition shown in Fig. 2 in which it lies in the path of the claw 3 and lug 18. As shown in Fig. 3 in the rest position the driver 6 lies directly behind one of thelugs 18 'of the twister driving wheel 19 in the direction of rotation of the driving wheel 2 so that after the control shaft has been displaced as above, the driver must first perform almost half a revolution or a lost motion before it comes into engagement with the other lug 18 of the twister wheel 19. The twister driving wheel 19, therefore, remains to begin with in the rest position so that at first the claw 3 as soon as the latter comes into engagement with the driver 6, only sets the control shaft 4 in rotation in the same direction. Thereby the cam discs 9 and 10 are carried round in the same direction since they are "connected by the keys 7 and 8 with the control shaft. Consequently the cam surfaces 17 rock the tensioning levers 12 and 13 apart against the action of the return spring 11 during a half revolution of the cam discs 9 and 10 as may be seen from Fig. 1. Since the parts 14 and 15 of the wire are clamped 'fast by the clamping devices 16, the wire laid around the package is correspondingly t'ensioned. As soon as the driver 6 has reached the position shown in Fig. 5, it comes into en'gagement with the correspondir'ig lug 18 and sets the twister driving wheel 19 in rota tion in the satire direction. The twister pinion 20 meshing with the wheel 19 is thus set in rotation also. The

twister pinion 20 twists the overlapping parts 14 and 15 The twisting process continues as long as the driver 6 is disposed in the path of the lug 18. The driver 6 is forced out of this path, however, in the course of further rotation of the control shaft 4 by the co-operation of the axial projection 21 of the control shaft 4 with the cam surface 22 of the stationary control part 1''. Fig. 9 shows the mutual position of these control members in the position in which the control shaft 4 begins to be pushed back axially. The location and shape of the cam surface 22 are such that the driver 6 does not release the lug 13 of the twister driving wheel 19 until it has passed in the direction of rotation beyond the rest position shown in Fig. 6. This release takes place when the projection 21 has reached the part i of the cam surface 22. The corresponding position is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The wheel 19 is returned to the rest position shown in Fig. 3 by the resetting device in that the spring pawl 23 which has previously engaged in the groove 24 (Fig. 8) and has been swung outwards by a push from the flank of the groove, the spring 23 being tensioned, now swings back into the position shown in Fig. 8, which position is determined by the stop pawl 26 which for its part has previously engaged in the groove 24 under the action of the spring 26". As soon as the driver 6 has released the lug 18 (Figs. 6 and 7) the twisting process is finished. The driver 6 is still in engagement, however, with the claw 3 of the driving wheel 2 (see Fig. 6) since the claw 3 projects further axially than the lug 18. Consequently the control shaft 4 rotates .further. With it rotate the cam discs 9 and 10 which now engage the associated cutting knives 23 with their noses 27 as shown in Fig. 10. The knives 2 8 are thus forced down and cut the parts of the wire lying in the wire guides 30. After cutting on the wire the knives are rocked back into the open position by the return springs 29. The axial projection 21 of the control shaft 4 has now reached the part k of the cam surface 22. In this position the control shaft 4 is pushed back so far that it passes out of engagement with the claw 3. Rotation of the control shaft 4 is thus stopped so that the driving wheel 2 continues to run idly. All the parts h-avc now returned to their rest position.

in a modification of the arrangement shown in the drawings, the controlrnembers of the control shaft 21 and the stationary control part f can be mutually reversed in their function, by disposing the axial projection not on the control shaft but on the stationary control part f and conversely providing the control shaft 4 with a corresponding cam surface to replace the cam surface 22 of the control part 1.

It is advantageous to arrange the whole machine for suspension from a carrier means disposed thereabove so that after use it can be suspended at such a height above the place of work that the packages to be tied up can be passed under-the machine. They can, for example, be passed through by means of a conveyor band or by means of a rotary roller conveyor which can be arranged above the floor at a height convenient 'for handling. The sus pension means for the machine can also, however, be arranged for displacement along a horizontal path, for example by arranging a horizontal rail bencath the roof of the 'work room with the suspending means running on a roller or slide along the rail. It is then possible simply by pushing the machine along to bring the suspending means into a desired fresh position above the package to be tied up. The reel of wire from which the wire to be used is continuously reeled ofi can be disposed above the machine for example at an appropriate place beneath the roof or can be arranged above on the suspending means for the machine so that the space beneath the machine is not eliminated by the reel of wire and the wire leading to the machine.

An advantageous assembly is shown in Fig. 11. As may be seen from Fig. 11, the base plate a of the machine greased or a housing part joined thereto is provided with a loop shaped member 31 in which a hook 32 engages which is secured to the end of the manually operable pulley rope 33 of a flanged pulley which is connected by means of a rope 34 to a suitable part of the base plate a or of a housing part joined thereto. The point of connection and the location of the loop 31 are so selected that the centre of gravity of the whole machine lies between these two points and the base plate, as shown, lies approximately horizontal in the suspended position. The flanged pulley is mounted on a carriage 35 which runs on wheels 36 on a rail 37 disposed beneath the roof, not shown, of the packing room for free displacement therealong. Beside the suspending means there is disposeda drum 38 which is rotatably mounted on the carriage 35 and on which the 1 reel of packing wire 39 is mounted which is looped round the package 40. h

The worm indicated by 1 in Fig. 1 is mounted on a vertical worm shaft 41 for the motor drive of the machine. The shaft 41 is connected through a clutch with the flexible driving shaft 42 shown in Fig. 11 which leads to the electro-motor 43 which is likewise arranged on the carriage 35 at the other side of the suspending means and can be switched on and off by means of a pull member 44 which carries a hand grip 45 on its free end.

In use the operator grasps the hook 32 with one hand and the loop 31 with the other hand and disengages the two parts from one another. Thereupon he lets down the machine on to the package 40 disposed therebeneath until the base plate a rests on the package. The wire 39 is then placed in position as described above, the motor is started by pulling the hand grip 45, the machine is set in operation and tying up is effected. Thereafter by pulling on the hook 32 the machine is lifted and secured in the lifted position by inserting the hook 32 into the loop 31. The motor can continue to run since the driving wheel 2 is driven idly by the worm 1. By pulling the loop 31 the carriage 35 is brought into the desired fresh position in which further tying of the chest is to be eifected and the procedure is repeated. If the machine is to be put out of use the motor is switched off by pulling on the hand grip 45.

The motor 43 can be arranged for easy release from the carriage 35 and can be so arranged that it can be secured, for example, to a wall or a wall pier or post or to a portable or wheeled frame which can, if desired, be provided also with a device for accommodating the reel of wire, for example, in such a way that the drum 38, which is mounted for free rotation suspended from the carriage 35 and can readily be removed, can be suspended at will in a corresponding manner from the portable or wheeled frame. Since the flexible shaft 42 can be uncoupled from the worm shaft 41 the motor together with the flexible shaft can also be used for driving a spare machine or any other desired unit.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 12 the driving electromotor 47 and a transmission gear 48 connected theretoare mounted on the base plate 46 of the machine. The driving shaft engages through gear wheels 49 with a driving pinion 50 which is mounted fast on the drivable shaft 51 which is mounted for rotation on the base plate 46 in two bearings 52. A cam disc 53 provided with a camming nose 54 is secured to the end of the shaft 51 remote from the pinion 50. The cam disc co-operates with a switch 55 to switch the supply current for the motor 47 on and 01f in that the camming nose 54 each time it passes the switch 55 acts on the switch to interrupt the supply of current to the motor so that the motor is thus brought to rest and the shaft 51 is consequently stopped. If necessary, on operation of the switch a brake can also be applied so that the shaft 51 is stopped immediately by the camming nose 54 or another control member dependent on movement of the shaft 51 can be applied.

As previous experiments have shown, the shaft 51 is i stopped immediately by interrupting the supply of cur rent so that a brake should not be necessary.

The motor can be switched on again by manual operation of the switch 55 in desired manner known per se.

The two cam discs 56 are mounted fast on the shaft 51 so that they necessarily participate in the rotation of the shaft 51. Each cam disc 56 carries on the side remote from the other a cam surface 57 which co-operates with the corresponding tensioning lever of the tensioning apparatus in the same way as in the embodiment already described with reference to Fig. 1. These tensioning levers are rockably mounted in the same way and provided with clamping means for the wire to be tensioned. The twister driving or actuating wheel 58 is mounted between the cam discs 56 on a bush 59 on the shaft 51 co-axially of this shaft 51 for free rotation with respect thereto. The wheel 58 meshes permanently with the twister pinion 60 which is arranged and functions in the same way as the twister pinion already described with reference to Fig. 1.

The twister driving wheel 58 is provided with two diametrically opposed axial bores in which drivers 61 and 62 respectively are mounted for axial displacement. Each of these drivers is under the influence of a compression spring 63. On the base plate 46 or on the housing of the drive 48 there is also arranged. a stationary control part 64 which co-operates with a movable control member 65. The movable control member 65 is mounted for axial displacement in a control disc or couple 66 which is arranged between the twister driving wheel 58 and the stationary control part 64 and is set on the shaft 51 in such a way that it necessarily participates in the rotation of this shaft. The movable control member 65 has the form of a stepped or shouldered pin and is mounted in a bush or shouldered recess 67 so that it passes through the control disc 66 and is so arranged that the driver 61 lies in the path of rotation of the movable control member 65. As may be seen from Fig; 12 in the initial position of the machine there shown the driver 61 is disposed co-axially of the movable control member 65 which bears with its side remote from the driver 61 against the stationary control part 64. Since the end of the movable control member 65 facing the driver 61 obturates the control disc 66 in this position with the boundary surface facing the twister driving wheel 58, the driver 61 is consequently prevented from protruding from the twister driving wheel 58.

The driver 61, control member 65 and control part 64 constitute either operable means for coupling the shaft 51 with the twister driving wheel 58 or a lost motion connection between the shaft 51 and the twister driving Wheel 58.

When current is supplied to the motor by manual operation of the switch 55 and the shaft is consequently set in rotation in the direction of the arrow 68, the control disc or couple 66 is necessarily carried round whilst the twister driving wheel 58 at first remains stationary, whereas the cam discs 56 participate in the rotation and thus operate the tensioning apparatus which tensions the wire, which is passed round a package and inserted in the clamping devices, by co-operation of the cam surfaces 57 with the tensioning levers. As may be seen from Fig. 12, the tensioning process is completed after half a revolution because the cam surfaces 57 then exert their greatest effect, and thereby force the tensioning levers apart to the greatest extent. During this half revolution the drivers 61 and 62 have remained in their position within the twister driving wheel 58 since the 'driver 61 has been prevented from protruding from the twister driving wheel 58 first by the movable control member 65 lying against the stationary control part 64 and thereafter by the boundary surface of the control disc or couple 66 lying against the twister driving wheel 58. In analogous manner the driver 62 is also prevented from protruding by bearing continually against the said boundary surface. In the course of the rotary movement the movable control member 65 moves out of the range of the driver 61 and also out of the range of the stationary control part 64 so that the movable control member 65 is now mounted for free displacement in the bush 67. When now in the course of the rotary movement after completion of the tensioning process the movable control member 65 passes into the region of the driver 62 which lies in its path of rotation, the driver 62 is thereby released and is forced under the influence of the compression spring 63 out of the twister driving wheel 58 and into the bush 67 of the control disc 66 whilst the movable control member 65 comes to bear with its shoulder 69 against a bead 70 within the bush 67 so that the reduced spigot end of the member 65 disposed in front of the shoulder 69 in the direction of movement protrudes from the control disc 66. On further rotation the inner wall of the bush 67 bears against the driver 62 which has entered this bush and thus takes with it the twister driving wheel so that the twister apparatus is set in operation and twists together the overlapping parts of wire.

After the twisting process has been completed the re duced spigot of the movable control member 65, which now lies in the path of the stationary control part 64,

comes into engagement with the latter, the reduced spigot striking an oblique surface of the stationary control part 64 which lies in its path of movement, which surface is so constructed and arranged that it forces the end of the control member 65 projecting from the control disc 66 completely back into the bush 67. This movement of the control member 65 forces the driver 62 back completely into the twister driving wheel 58 with compression of the spring 63 whereby the twister driving wheel is again disengaged from the drive. The said oblique surface of the stationary control part 64 is so located that this disengagement takes place prior to operation of the cutting apparatus which cuts off the surplus parts of the wire in the same way as in the previous embodiment described with reference to Fig. 1.

After operation of the cutting apparatus, the shaft 51 completes its rotation so that the cam nose 54 switches olf the motor current by operating the switch 55. The shaft 51 including the parts associated therewith is thus brought to rest. In order to return the twister driving wheel 58 into the precise initial position shown in 12 use may be made of the re-setting devices described in connection with the previously described embodiment in that the twister driving wheel is exposed in analogous manner to the influence of a re-setting device which automatically turns it back into the rest position if the latter is passed by and the re-setting device is associated with a locking device, for example, in the form of a stop pawl which locks the twister driving wheel in the rest position. This makes sure of the starting position for a further working operation.

The embodiment illustrated in Fig. 13 is distinguished from that of Fig. 12 in that the movable control memher is itself constructed as the driver for the twister driving wheel. The twister driving wheel is again. indicated by and is provided with two diametrically opposite apertures 71 which again lie in the path of the movable control member 72 constructed as the driver which is mounted for axial displacement in a bore of the control disc or couple 66 and is under the influence of a compression spring 73 which tends to push the control member '72 into the end position shown in Fig. .3 in which the end facing the twister driving wheel 58 lies wholly within the control disc 66 whilst the other end protrudes by a certain amount from the control disc 66 and thus lies in the path of the stationary control part 6%. This stationary control part 64 is again provided with an oblique surface which lies in the path of the driver 72 and is so constructed and arranged that the control member 72 on striking against the oblique surface is forced into the corresponding aperture 71 of the twister driving wheel 58, the spring 73 being compressed. The control member 72 as driver then couples with the twister driving wheel 58 so that the latter participates in the rotation of the control disc or couple 66. Of course this coupling operation takes place at the same point of time after completion of the tensioning process as described above and an uncoupling process takes place after completion of the twisting process in that the similarly dimensioned stationary control part 64 again releases the movable control member 72 so that the spring '73 moves the control member 72 out of the aperture 71 in the twister driving wheel 58 into the end position shown in Fig. 13.

The shaft 51 can be brought to rest at the end of each working operation in any other way than by bringing the motor to rest, for example a control member such, for example, as the cam nose 54- dependent upon the movement of the drivable shaft 51 can be constructed as a control member for an uncoupling device which is con nected into the drive at any desired place. For example, the driving pinion can be connected through a clutch to the shaft 51 and this clutch can be under the influence of the said control member whilst the control member on the same side be arranged at the same end of the shaft 51 and can, therefore, be associated directly with the operating member of the clutch.

What we claim is:

l. A machine for tensioning and twisting together overlapped ends of a wire applied to a package comprising shaft means rotatable about an axis, power driven means for rotating said shaft means in one direction, means including cam means on said shaft means for terminating rotation of said shaft means after completion of a cycle, gripping means for said ends of said wire, cam disc means mounted on said shaft means for rotation therewith, wire tensioning means operatively connected to said cam disc means, said Wire tensioning means including a pair of spaced apart arms contacting said earn disc means and displaceable relative to each other upon rotation of said cam disc means together with said shaft means, twister actuating means arranged for free movement about said shaft means, coupling means on said shaft means adapted to engage said twister actuating means after rotation of said shaft means to a predetermined position, and twisting means for said overlapped ends of said wire operatively connected to said twister actuating means and disposed intermediate said spaced apart arms, whereby upon rotation of said shaft means rotative movement of said cam disc means is effectuated, thereby causing displacement of said arms of said wire tensioning means, thereafter of said twister actuating means through said coupling means to actuate said wire twisting means, termination of said rotation of said shaft means upon completion of said cycle being caused by said cam means when the latter reaches a predetermined position relative to said axis, said cam means, said cam disc means, said twister actuating means, and said coupling means being rotatable about said axis.

2. A machine for tensioning and twisting together overlapped ends of a wire applied to a packagecomprising shaft means rotatable about an axis, power driven means for rotating said shaft means in one direction, means in cluding cam means on said shaft means for terminating rotation of said shaft means after completion of a cycle, gripping means for said ends of said wire, cam disc means mounted on said shaft means for rotation therewith, nose means carried by said cam disc means, a pair of cutting means engaged and actuated by said nose means at a predetermined position of said cam disc means, said cutting means being disposed on either side of said twisting means, wire tensioning means operatively connected to said cam disc means, said wire tensioning means including a pair of spaced apart arms contacting said cam disc means and displaceable relative to each other upon rotation of said cam disc means together with said shaft means, twister actuating means arranged for free movement about said shaft means, coupling means on said shaft means adapted to engage said twister actuating means after rotation of said shaft means to a predetermined position, and twisting means for said over lapped ends of said wire operatively connected to said twister actuating means and disposed intermediate said spaced apart arms, whereby upon rotation of said shaft means rotative movement of said cam disc means is efiectuated, thereby causing displacement of said arms of said wire tensioning means, thereafter of said twister actuating means through said coupling means to actuate said wire twisting means and to actuate said cutting means upon termination of twisting, termination of said rotation of said shaft means upon completion of said cycle being caused by said cam means when the latter reaches a predetermined position relative to said axis, said cam means, said cam disc means, said twister actuating means, and said coupling means being rotatable about said axis.

3. A machine according to claim 1, said cam disc means including a pair of cam discs, said arms of said wire tensioning means being pivotally mounted and contacting said cam discs, respectively, said gripping means including clamp means for said wire on each of said arms, and spring means interconnecting said arms, whereby upon rotation of said shaft means operation of said cam discs occurs to thereby displace said arms against the action of said spring means and to eifect tensioning of said wire in said clamp means of said arms.

4. A machine according to claim 1, said coupling means including stationary control means provided with a cam surface, disc means mounted on said shaft means adjacent said twister actuating means and extending toward said stationary control means, said disc means being provided with a shouldered recess extending therethrough, a movable control member provided with a shoulder positioned in said shouldered recess and operatively connected to said stationary control member, a pair of drivers positioned in a pair of diametrically disposed bores, respectively, provided in said twister actuating means, and a pair of springs urging said drivers, respectively, toward said disc means, said bores being positioned at a radial distance from said shaft means equal to that of said shouldered recess, whereby upon rotation of said shaft means together with said disc means after tensioning has been effected said shouldered recess faces one of said bores and its respective driver, said driver extending into said shouldered recess under the action of its respective spring thereby advancing said movable control member through said disc means and coupling said twisting means to said shaft means, continued rotation advancing said movable control member along said cam surface of said stationary control means thereby uncoupling said disc means from said twister actuating means and terminating twisting of said wire.

5. A machine according to claim 1, said coupling means including stationary control means provided with a cam surface, disc means mounted on said shaft means adjacent said twister actuating means and extending toward said stationary control means, said disc means being provided with a shouldered recess extending therethrough, a movable control member provided with a shoulder positioned in said shouldered recess, and spring means urging said movable control member into said recess, one end of said movable control member protruding toward said stationary control member, said twister driving means being provided with a pair of diametrically disposed bores, said bores being positioned at a radial distance from said shaft means equal to that of said shouldered recess, whereby upon rotation of said shaft means together with said disc means after tensioning has been effected said protruding end of said movable control member advances along said cam surface of said stationary control member and the other end of said movable control member is urged toward saidtwister actuating means and into one of said bores thereby coupling said twisting means to said shaft means, continued rotation advancing said movable control member beyond said cam surface and effecting uncoupling and termination of twisting.

6. A machine for tensioning and twisting together overlapped ends of a wire comprising spindle means, a cam surface on one end of said spindle means, rotatable shaft means, said shaft means being axially displaceable without and along said spindle means toward said cam surface, radial driver means on and projecting from said shaft means, cam disc means mounted on said shaft and disposed for longitudinal displacement relative to each other, power driven means for rotating said shaft means, claw means extending from said rotating means toward said radial driver means, twister actuating means arranged for free movement about said shaft means, lug means on said twister actuating means and projecting toward said radial driver means to a lesser extent than said claw means, wire tensioning means including a pair of spaced apart arms for gripping said ends of said wire, said arms being displaceable relative to each other and being operatively connected to said cam disc means, and twisting means operatively connected to said twister actuating means and disposed intermediate said arms, whereby upon displacement of said shaft means along said spindle means toward said cam surface said claw means rotates said radial driver means together with said shaft means and said cam disc means, and during a single revolution of said shaft means brings about first actuation of said wire tensioning means, then rotation of said twister actuating means through subsequent contact of said radial driver means with said lug means, then rotation of said twisting means for twisting said wire, and thereafter rotation effecting contact of said shaft means with a selected portion of said cam surface causing disengagement of said radial driver means from said lug means so as to terminate wire twisting and disengagement of said claw means from said radial driver means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,784,025 Norton Dec. 9, 1930 1,868,141 Harvey July 19, 1932 1,956,234 Cox Apr. 24, 1934 2,111,115 Gibbs Mar. 15, 1938 2,134,186 Harvey Oct. 25, 1938 2,368,969 Cleveland Feb. 6, 1945 2,460,846 Schulze Feb. 8, 1949 

